The land dispute between the Chakmas of Deban in Changlang district and Mismis of Kathan in Lohit district Arunachal Pradesh.
SDO Certified to Chakmas that the mentioned villages were evicted by locals i.e Mishmi's
1.#History:
The villages namely: Jagat Jyoti, Monmohini, Ramrajpur, Buddhabhakti, Anandapur, Sumangal, Sintola, Sundarpur, Udaypuri, Punyabhumi, Nandhakanoon, Devapuri, Bodhisatta, Brajapur and Kamalapuri were settled and established under Chakma Refugee Rehabilitation and Settlement Schemes by the government of India during 1964-1969 in Deban Circle of Changlang (then Tirap district in NEFA) by Sunil Choudhary, the then Circle Officer-Miao, along with Lt. Pisi La Singpho, the then Kotoky (a kind of senior public leader) and Rabi Kanungo (the then LRO).
Meantime, the Deban area was completely vacant and no any other tribe had been found in and around the Deban area. Neither Singphos nor Mismis were dwelling in that area or nearby. Hence, for the safeguards of the land from Chinese invasion, some Chakmas were settled down permanently in the Deban area by the government by establishing the abovementioned villages. All those villages were included in Census of India-1971. The then EAC, Miao, Shri B. Baruah had given settlement to 66 Chakma families during 1978-79 by establishing four villages: Bodhisatta-I, Bodhisatta-II, Bodhisatta-III and Bodhisatta-IV.
There were in fact so many difficulties, despite of it, Chakmas were surviving in their villages in extreme conditions. In addition to these hardships, the villagers were gripped with communal tensions from the Mismis living in the fringes of the Lohit District. They also burnt down homes/shelters of Chakmas and destroyed crops. It happened in 1984. On 7th and 8th Jan. 1984, the Mismi people came with lethal weapon like local swords (Dao) and guns came to Chakmas villages and threaten them to leave their villages.
The Chakmas had filed FIR many times to the Police station and administration of Miao against the Mismis from time to time regarding violence against their villagers. On the dated 10th Jan. 1984, the then EAC Miao D.K. Bhattacharjee with CRPF Jawans had verified the lose properties of the Chakmas on the spot. Since the then administration could not able to secure them, those people had to leave their settlement villages in misery and had taken shelter in other Chakma settlement villages in mid-1984.
After verifying all the incidents and its records taken place in Chakma areas including Bodhisatta-I,II,III and IV villages and in Deban, the Sub-DivisionalOfficer (SDO) Miao had certified and recorded in the Administration Office Register that the local Mismi people evicted some said Chakma villages.
That the Mismis, living in the fringes of the Lohit District (A.P.) forcefully and illegally encroached the Chakma Bodhisatta-IV village already in the Changlang District (A.P.). They renamed it as Kathan village and annexed it into Lohit district from Changlang. Same formula is still being used by the Mismis to snatch away the original settlement land of the innocent helpless Chakmas.
2.#Traditional_boundary_is_inappropriate:
The location points of the redrawing of traditional boundary made between the Singpho and Mismi communities on 6th April 2021 is unexpected and unacceptable because it is self-made by only Mismis and Singphos excluding lawful Chakmas.
In today's disputed area, once Chakmas were the only people who used to dwelling there as many Chakma villages were given settlement by the government of India during 1964-1969. Due to agitation of local people in 1980s, roared and protested "Go Back Chakmas", some villages of Chakmas were evicted by Mismis. Despite of it, Chakmas kept yielding of Jhum cultivation on that area and after situation came to normal, they again have been dwelling there with families by establishing villages for many years. The boundary between two districts shares with Chakmas and the Mismis. Therefore, not including Chakmas in proposing/redrawing of traditional boundary for two districts is injustice and condemnable act.
3. #Recent_incident: Administration is aware that Chakmas are already inhabiting there before dispute arisen. Being Buddhists by tradition, Chakmas build Buddha viharas and respect to the Buddha statues. Villagers of Nandakanan have simply made a temporary (kacca) Buddhist temple at the village to worship there. On 16th June 2021, Mismi people came from Kathan of Lohit district started working with JCB on the disputed area, vandalized the Buddhist temple and took away the statue of the Buddha. Attacking to any religious place, is a sentimental issue. So, the communal violence has occurred from there.
5.#Nandakanun_or_New_Kathan: Which one is right? Chakmas call the place as Nandakanan which was an original settlement village compensated by the government of India. According to it, the area falls under Changlang district. But, they have lost original government documents that they used to possess. Whereas, the Mismis state that it's New Kathan which is part of Lohit district.
4.#Evidences:
i) Chakmas still have some supportive original documents related to their original settlement villages of the said area provided by the government.
ii) In the maps of the Census of India 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011 both Lohit and Changlang districts, clearly show that the area is belong to the Changlang district. If it's in Changlang district means the statement of Chakmas is legitimate.
#Note: The post is based on evidences, documents and incident proofs.
Source #TheGlobalChakmaVoice
@Gallery of Incident
@Truth behind Video
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